Pollegio
Encyclopedia
Pollegio is a municipality
in the district of Leventina
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
, located in the lower Leventina (valley crossed by the river Ticino).
Pollegio belonged to the Vicinanza
of Giornico
. The village church was part of the Bodio parish
(another member of the Vicinanza of Giornico) until 1602, when it became an independent parish. The Church of SS. MM. Innocenti was built after the Battle of Giornico
(which took place in 1478), in memory of the fallen. It was renovated in the 17th century, in 1840 and in 1990.
and the mountain of Sobrio
, were part of the Vicinanza of Giornico. The location at the intersection of the Three Ambrosian Rite
Valleys, led to the creation, between 1210 and 1236, of a hospice for travelers known as the "Hospitale de Santa Maria in Campo Canino de Pollezio de gli Humiliati", directed by the religious order of the Humiliati
. After 1326, the hospice was called a "monastery", under the direction of the Humiliati. In 1422 the Confederates met in Pollegio to swear an oath before the Battle of Arbedo
. Moreover, from Pollegio, the Confederates sent a declaration of war to the Duke of Milan. In 1478 after the Battle of Giornico of 28 December (which occurred in the territories between Bodio and Pollegio) the Confederates buried their dead in Pollegio. In the following years, they built an ossuary
which was later replaced with a Church devoted to the Santissimi Martiri Innocenti (Most Holy Innocent Martyrs). Until then, the only available church was the Church of St. Mary attached to the Humiliati hospice and monastery. The church was later transformed into a parish church (of the Ambrosian Rite and dedicated to the Innocent Martyrs). December 28, the date of battle, became the patron saint's day. Later, the Confraternity (founded by San Carlo Borromeo as a Blessed Sacrament Confraternity and later erected to the glory of St. Anthony of Padua) added a new patron saint's day June 13 based on popular devotion to St. Anthony of Padua. The church, with a single nave
and a barrel vault, was renovated in the Baroque
style in the 18th Century and further renovated in the 19th and mid-20th Centuries.
In 1567, all the villages (members of the Vicinanza) of Giornico
asked San Carlo Borromeo to give them the independence from the parish of Bodio, but without success. However, in 1602 Federico Borromeo
decided in favor of the separation and Pollegio finally became an independent parish.
officially erected the Seminary of Pollegio using the assets of the suppressed order of Humiliati, and on 16 July 1626 he determined its rules of conduct. The foundation act was signed at the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Milan, in the presence of Uri and Leventina authorities.
During 1673 and 1682 it was closed as a result of floods caused by rivers Brenno
and Ticino. In 1683 the seminary resumed its educational activity, but between 1787 and 1796 there were additional closures following the temporary abolition of the Archbishop's seminary of Milan. In 1851 the Seminary of Pollegio was closed by a body of soldiers under the Council of State
. Following this, the mayor of Pollegio was appointed as provisional administrator.
, Ticino and Lombardy.
.
, wheat mile
and barley - came from the seminar and possessions from the property to Cardana
(province of Varese
). They also ate chestnut
s, dried and fresh beans
, beans, nuts, cheese (from Airolo
by Iragna
and the canton of Uri and the Schwyz
), butter was used as a condiment. The wine was equivalent to 27% of food expenditure. the meat was mostly white: in 1697/98 had cooked 25 calf
, two heifers, some lamb, some pigs and 23 chickens. In addition: fish, perch
and tench
and the fish of the river Ticino, where the seminary had a fish pond
that they rented. The menu of 1697 also included apples, pears, strawberries, fruit, salt, lemon candies, cookies, candies, anicini, sugar, spices, cream, mascarpone
, 950 snails, anchovies and 1174 eggs.
launched an act of secularism
about religious institutions which affected the Seminary of Pollegio too, making it owned by the State. It was then transformed into a lay school in 1873. On January 29, 1873 the School of Science was established in the canton of Ticino that lasted until 1878. The men's section was moved to Locarno while the female remained in Pollegio until 1881. In 1884 the Diocese of Lugano was created, and in Pollegio was installed the Gymnasium section of the diocesan seminary; which in 1919 was transferred to Lugano. Among his students figured Stephen Franscini by Bodio.
and are responsible for the maintenance of the artifacts, roads, bridges, trails, springs and fountains. From the second half of the 20th Century you may also include the children of a married to a non-patrician patrician patrician wives and married to a non-patrician.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.4%. Out of the forested land, 60.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 11.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.7% is used for orchards or vine crops and 3.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation and 4.8% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Leventina district. It consists of the village of Pollegio and the hamlet
of Pasquerio.
of the municipal coat of arms
is a Cardinal's cap and three five-pointed red stars (Or an archbishop's cap Gules and in chief three mullets of the second fesswise.)
Most of the population speaks Italian
(90.2%), with Portuguese
being second most common ( 3.6%) and German
being third ( 2.2%). Of the Swiss national languages , 16 speak German, 10 people speak French
, 652 people speak Italian. The remainder (45 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 60.9% male and 39.1% female. The population was made up of 214 Swiss men (24.9% of the population), and 310 (36.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 232 Swiss women (26.9%), and 105 (12.2%) non-Swiss women.
In there were no live births to Swiss citizens and 3 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 8 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 8 while the foreign population increased by 1. There was 1 non-Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss woman who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 1 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 25 people. This represents a population growth rate of -2.7%.
The age distribution, , in Pollegio is; 51 children or 5.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 87 teenagers or 10.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 91 people or 10.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 121 people or 14.1% are between 30 and 39, 188 people or 21.8% are between 40 and 49, and 143 people or 16.6% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 88 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 50 people or 5.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 42 people or 4.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 48.9% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 284 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 185 single family homes (or 72.3% of the total) out of a total of 256 inhabited buildings. There were 38 two family buildings (14.8%) and 13 multi-family buildings (5.1%). There were also 20 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.41%. there were 351 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 110. There were 16 single room apartments and 81 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 278 apartments (79.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 60 apartments (17.1%) were seasonally occupied and 13 apartments (3.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the SP
which received 36.47% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(29.18%), the Ticino League
(12.84%) and the FDP
(10.65%). In the federal election, a total of 175 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 46.4%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 373 registered voters in Pollegio, of which 264 or 70.8% voted. 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 263 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS
which received 92 or 35.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 68 or 25.9%), the SSI (with 41 or 15.6%) and the LEGA
(with 26 or 9.9%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 263 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 90 or 34.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 64 or 24.3%), the LEGA (with 40 or 15.2%) and the PLRT (with 31 or 11.8%).
, there were 95 workers who commuted into the municipality and 269 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 6.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 65.6% used a private car. , there was one hotel in Pollegio.
. There are 57 individuals (or about 7.88% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 26 individuals (or about 3.60% of the population) did not answer the question.
(1844–1900), one of the most famous pedagogists and theologians of Canton Ticino, teacher and doctor of theology, an important contributor to the catholic newspapers: "Catholic Believer" and "Freedom." First Director of the magistral school of Canton Ticino, from 1888 to 1900.
).
In Pollegio there were a total of 116 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Pollegio there were 14 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 37 students attended the standard primary schools and 3 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 27 students in the two year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 10 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 8 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 13 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 56 students from Pollegio who attended schools outside the municipality.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Leventina
Leventina (district)
The district of Leventina is one of the eight districts of the largely Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The capital of the district is Faido but the largest town is Airolo at the beginning or at the end of the valley....
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, located in the lower Leventina (valley crossed by the river Ticino).
History
Pollegio is first mentioned around 1237 as Poleccio/Puletio though this comes from an 18th Century copy of the original document. In 1256 it was mentioned as de Polecci. It used to be known by the German name of Klösterli, though this is not used anymore. In the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Pollegio belonged to the Vicinanza
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
of Giornico
Giornico
Giornico is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Giornico is first mentioned around 935-94 as de Iudicibus Giornicensis. In 1202 it was mentioned as Iornico, and around 1210-58 it was mentioned as Zurnigo...
. The village church was part of the Bodio parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
(another member of the Vicinanza of Giornico) until 1602, when it became an independent parish. The Church of SS. MM. Innocenti was built after the Battle of Giornico
Battle of Giornico
In the Battle of Giornico a Swiss force of 600 defeated 10,000 Milanese troops.This victory against odds of one to twenty was possible because the Milanese army was confined in a narrow valley, struggling for foothold on the December snow and ice. The Swiss ambushed the army from above, creating...
(which took place in 1478), in memory of the fallen. It was renovated in the 17th century, in 1840 and in 1990.
Early history
In the early centuries, there were two local centers: the mountain community of Saymola (Simbra, Symora) (probably the oldest of the two) and the other on the valley floor. The small village was part of the Commune of Leventina (with villages in the valley) and over the Novena pass to the Moleno river. The Leventina was given in 945 to the Canons of the Cathedral of Milan, who held it until 1403 when it passed into the hands of Uri. The municipality was formed by ten Vicinie. Pollegio with BodioBodio
Bodio is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Bodio is first mentioned in 1227 as Boidi. During the Middle Ages, Bodio and the now abandoned village of Simbra formed a Degagna in the Giornico area...
and the mountain of Sobrio
Sobrio
Sobrio is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Geography:Sobrio has an area, , of . Of this area, or 9.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 70.2% is forested...
, were part of the Vicinanza of Giornico. The location at the intersection of the Three Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
Valleys, led to the creation, between 1210 and 1236, of a hospice for travelers known as the "Hospitale de Santa Maria in Campo Canino de Pollezio de gli Humiliati", directed by the religious order of the Humiliati
Humiliati
The Humiliati were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a Papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century.-Origin:Its origin is obscure...
. After 1326, the hospice was called a "monastery", under the direction of the Humiliati. In 1422 the Confederates met in Pollegio to swear an oath before the Battle of Arbedo
Battle of Arbedo
The Battle of Arbedo was fought on June 30, 1422 between the Duchy of Milan and the Swiss Confederation.In 1419, Uri and Unterwalden bought the Bellinzona stronghold from the Sacco barons, but were unable to defend it adequately...
. Moreover, from Pollegio, the Confederates sent a declaration of war to the Duke of Milan. In 1478 after the Battle of Giornico of 28 December (which occurred in the territories between Bodio and Pollegio) the Confederates buried their dead in Pollegio. In the following years, they built an ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
which was later replaced with a Church devoted to the Santissimi Martiri Innocenti (Most Holy Innocent Martyrs). Until then, the only available church was the Church of St. Mary attached to the Humiliati hospice and monastery. The church was later transformed into a parish church (of the Ambrosian Rite and dedicated to the Innocent Martyrs). December 28, the date of battle, became the patron saint's day. Later, the Confraternity (founded by San Carlo Borromeo as a Blessed Sacrament Confraternity and later erected to the glory of St. Anthony of Padua) added a new patron saint's day June 13 based on popular devotion to St. Anthony of Padua. The church, with a single nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a barrel vault, was renovated in the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style in the 18th Century and further renovated in the 19th and mid-20th Centuries.
In 1567, all the villages (members of the Vicinanza) of Giornico
Giornico
Giornico is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Giornico is first mentioned around 935-94 as de Iudicibus Giornicensis. In 1202 it was mentioned as Iornico, and around 1210-58 it was mentioned as Zurnigo...
asked San Carlo Borromeo to give them the independence from the parish of Bodio, but without success. However, in 1602 Federico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo was an Italian ecclesiastic, cardinal and archbishop of Milan.-Biography:Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borromeo, Count of Arona, and Margherita Trivulzio...
decided in favor of the separation and Pollegio finally became an independent parish.
The Seminary of Pollegio
On 6 June 1622 Federico BorromeoFederico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo was an Italian ecclesiastic, cardinal and archbishop of Milan.-Biography:Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borromeo, Count of Arona, and Margherita Trivulzio...
officially erected the Seminary of Pollegio using the assets of the suppressed order of Humiliati, and on 16 July 1626 he determined its rules of conduct. The foundation act was signed at the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Milan, in the presence of Uri and Leventina authorities.
During 1673 and 1682 it was closed as a result of floods caused by rivers Brenno
Brenno
Brenno is a long river in canton Ticino in Switzerland. It drains most of the Blenio Valley and it joins the Ticino River between Pollegio and Biasca....
and Ticino. In 1683 the seminary resumed its educational activity, but between 1787 and 1796 there were additional closures following the temporary abolition of the Archbishop's seminary of Milan. In 1851 the Seminary of Pollegio was closed by a body of soldiers under the Council of State
Council of State
The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...
. Following this, the mayor of Pollegio was appointed as provisional administrator.
The teaching staff and students
The Seminary was governed by a rector who belonged to the congregation of the Oblates of Saint Ambrose and Charles founded by Carlo Borromeo in 1578. The line, known as "dozen", varied depending on the cost of living, at the end of 17th century was introduced a line "economy" to make education accessible to more students, equivalent to less than a quarter of the normal: those who chose this mode were called "menestrante" as the housing and received a bowl of soup, the rest of the food had to be taken from home and have it cooked by the chef of the seminary. Carlo Borromeo had set up five free seats for the youth of Leventina to become seminarians. Half of the students came from this valley, about a third from the Blenio Valley, one tenth of the Riviera. Other students came from the Swiss cantons (Uri especially) to learn the Italian language and from different locations, including GraubündenGraubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
, Ticino and Lombardy.
Rules and studies
The school year began in November and ended in July, Sunday and Thursday afternoons were the days of vacation, students had to speak in Latin, except that in moments of recreation and after dinner. For books a student would have had a dictionary, a handbook of grammar and a short treatise in vogue in the schools of the spiritual, the author studied the most was CiceroCicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
.
Everyday Life
Thanks to the documents scattered in various archives there is some information about the food consumed by students and teaching staff: Cereals - ryeRye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
, wheat mile
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
and barley - came from the seminar and possessions from the property to Cardana
Besozzo
Besozzo is a town and municipality located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.-Overview:Besozzo hosts a small historical centre with churches and noble houses, so-called Palazzi, in its upper part which is in part pedestrian zone, and a vivid modern centre with...
(province of Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
). They also ate chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s, dried and fresh beans
Vicia faba
This article refers to the Broad Bean plant. For Broadbean the company, see Broadbean, Inc.Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean, is a species of bean native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere. A variety is provisionally...
, beans, nuts, cheese (from Airolo
Airolo
Airolo is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:In the settlement of Madrano, Roman tombs from the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD were found. They belonged to a Vicus, whose inhabitants probably collected crystal, which was processed in Locarno into...
by Iragna
Iragna
Iragna is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Iragna is first mentioned in 1210 as Inagna....
and the canton of Uri and the Schwyz
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
), butter was used as a condiment. The wine was equivalent to 27% of food expenditure. the meat was mostly white: in 1697/98 had cooked 25 calf
Calf
Calves are the young of domestic cattle. Calves are reared to become adult cattle, or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal.-Terminology:...
, two heifers, some lamb, some pigs and 23 chickens. In addition: fish, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
and tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
and the fish of the river Ticino, where the seminary had a fish pond
Fish pond
A fish pond, or fishpond, is a controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, or is used for recreational fishing or for ornamental purposes...
that they rented. The menu of 1697 also included apples, pears, strawberries, fruit, salt, lemon candies, cookies, candies, anicini, sugar, spices, cream, mascarpone
Mascarpone
Mascarpone |denaturation]], whey is removed without pressing or aging. One can manufacture mascarpone by using cream and tartaric acid, citric acid, or even lemon juice....
, 950 snails, anchovies and 1174 eggs.
Nationalization
In 1852 the Grand CouncilGrand Council (Switzerland)
The Grand Council is a style adopted by a number of cantonal legislatures in Switzerland.* Grand Council of Appenzell Innerrhoden* Grand Council of Basel-Stadt* Grand Council of Argau* Grand Council of Bern* Grand Council of Fribourg...
launched an act of secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
about religious institutions which affected the Seminary of Pollegio too, making it owned by the State. It was then transformed into a lay school in 1873. On January 29, 1873 the School of Science was established in the canton of Ticino that lasted until 1878. The men's section was moved to Locarno while the female remained in Pollegio until 1881. In 1884 the Diocese of Lugano was created, and in Pollegio was installed the Gymnasium section of the diocesan seminary; which in 1919 was transferred to Lugano. Among his students figured Stephen Franscini by Bodio.
The Patricianship
The Patricianship includes all families originating in the place that once administered the undistributed assets of the community such as forests, grasslands, mountains, the alpsAlpine
The term alpine refers to the Alps, a European mountain range.Alpine may also refer to:- Geography and geology :* Alpine tundra, the biological community that occurs above the tree line at high altitude...
and are responsible for the maintenance of the artifacts, roads, bridges, trails, springs and fountains. From the second half of the 20th Century you may also include the children of a married to a non-patrician patrician patrician wives and married to a non-patrician.
20th Century in Pollegio
The traditional economy was based on agriculture and livestock, with granite mining starting in the 19th Century. In 1999, construction on the new Gotthard Base Tunnel began, starting in the area between Pollegio and Bodio. In 2002-03, an information center for the project was set up.Geography
Pollegio has an area, , of 5.89 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi). Of this area, 0.96 km² (0.370658072248834 sq mi) or 16.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.95 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 67.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.61 km² (0.235522316741446 sq mi) or 10.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.1 km² (24.7 acre) or 1.7% is either rivers or lakes and 0.42 km² (0.162162906608865 sq mi) or 7.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.4%. Out of the forested land, 60.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 11.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.7% is used for orchards or vine crops and 3.1% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation and 4.8% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Leventina district. It consists of the village of Pollegio and the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Pasquerio.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is a Cardinal's cap and three five-pointed red stars (Or an archbishop's cap Gules and in chief three mullets of the second fesswise.)
Demographics
Pollegio has a population of . , 47.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 17.2%.Most of the population speaks Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(90.2%), with Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being second most common ( 3.6%) and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
being third ( 2.2%). Of the Swiss national languages , 16 speak German, 10 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 652 people speak Italian. The remainder (45 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 60.9% male and 39.1% female. The population was made up of 214 Swiss men (24.9% of the population), and 310 (36.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 232 Swiss women (26.9%), and 105 (12.2%) non-Swiss women.
In there were no live births to Swiss citizens and 3 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 8 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 8 while the foreign population increased by 1. There was 1 non-Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss woman who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 1 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 25 people. This represents a population growth rate of -2.7%.
The age distribution, , in Pollegio is; 51 children or 5.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 87 teenagers or 10.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 91 people or 10.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 121 people or 14.1% are between 30 and 39, 188 people or 21.8% are between 40 and 49, and 143 people or 16.6% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 88 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 50 people or 5.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 42 people or 4.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 48.9% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 284 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 185 single family homes (or 72.3% of the total) out of a total of 256 inhabited buildings. There were 38 two family buildings (14.8%) and 13 multi-family buildings (5.1%). There were also 20 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.41%. there were 351 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 110. There were 16 single room apartments and 81 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 278 apartments (79.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 60 apartments (17.1%) were seasonally occupied and 13 apartments (3.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1567 | 50 Hearths |
| 1602 | 316 |
| 1745 | 279 |
| 1850 | 468 |
| 1900 | 531 |
| 1950 | 483 |
| 2000 | 723 |
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 36.47% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(29.18%), the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(12.84%) and the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(10.65%). In the federal election, a total of 175 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 46.4%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 373 registered voters in Pollegio, of which 264 or 70.8% voted. 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 263 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 92 or 35.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
+GenGiova (with 68 or 25.9%), the SSI (with 41 or 15.6%) and the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 26 or 9.9%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot was cast, leaving 263 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 90 or 34.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 64 or 24.3%), the LEGA (with 40 or 15.2%) and the PLRT (with 31 or 11.8%).
Economy
, Pollegio had an unemployment rate of 4.39%. , there were 14 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 308 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 8 businesses in this sector. 73 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 24 businesses in this sector. There were 363 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 33.3% of the workforce., there were 95 workers who commuted into the municipality and 269 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 6.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 65.6% used a private car. , there was one hotel in Pollegio.
Religion
From the , 631 or 87.3% were Roman Catholic, while 9 or 1.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. There are 57 individuals (or about 7.88% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 26 individuals (or about 3.60% of the population) did not answer the question.
Born in Pollegio
Luigi ImperatoriLuigi Imperatori
Luigi Imperatori , one of the most famous pedagogists and theologians of Canton Ticino, born in Pollegio , teacher and doctor of theology, an important contributor to the Swiss catholic newspapers: "Catholic Believer" and "Freedom." First Director of the magistral school of Canton Ticino, from 1888...
(1844–1900), one of the most famous pedagogists and theologians of Canton Ticino, teacher and doctor of theology, an important contributor to the catholic newspapers: "Catholic Believer" and "Freedom." First Director of the magistral school of Canton Ticino, from 1888 to 1900.
Education
In Pollegio about 48.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
In Pollegio there were a total of 116 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Pollegio there were 14 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 37 students attended the standard primary schools and 3 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There were 27 students in the two year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 10 students were in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 8 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 13 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 56 students from Pollegio who attended schools outside the municipality.